The analysis of image data presents a number of challenges, especially with respect to comparing images of an item or structure that are captured from different points of reference. One field that exemplifies many of these challenges is that of nucleic acid sequence analysis.
The detection of specific nucleic acid sequences present in a biological sample has a wide variety of applications, such as identifying and classifying microorganisms, diagnosing infectious diseases, detecting and characterizing genetic abnormalities, identifying genetic changes associated with cancer, studying genetic susceptibility to disease, and measuring response to various types of treatment. A valuable technique for detecting specific nucleic acid sequences in a biological sample is nucleic acid sequencing. Nucleic acid sequencing methodology has evolved significantly from the chemical degradation methods used by Maxam and Gilbert and the strand elongation methods used by Sanger. Today, there are a number of different processes being employed to elucidate nucleic acid sequence. A particularly popular sequencing process is sequencing-by-synthesis. One reason for its popularity is that this technique can be easily applied to massively parallel sequencing projects. For example, using an automated platform, it is possible to carry out hundreds of thousands of sequencing reactions simultaneously. Sequencing-by-synthesis differs from the classic dideoxy sequencing approach in that, instead of generating a large number of sequences and then characterizing them at a later step, real time monitoring of the incorporation of each base into a growing chain is employed. Although this approach might be viewed as slow in the context of an individual sequencing reaction, it can be used for generating large amounts of sequence information in each sequencing cycle when hundreds of thousands to millions of reactions are performed in parallel. Despite these advantages, the vast size and quantity of sequence information obtained through such methods can limit the speed and quality of analysis of sequence data. Thus, there is a need for methods and systems which improve the speed and accuracy of analysis of nucleic acid sequencing data.